


An Eventful Interview

by Roguefemme



Series: Master's Daughter Extras [2]
Category: Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter - Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Gen, Papa!Jean-Claude, Pure silly fluff, kids will be kids even when they're half-vampire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-06
Updated: 2017-11-06
Packaged: 2019-01-30 07:08:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12648639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Roguefemme/pseuds/Roguefemme
Summary: It's just a job interview, even if it involves being interviewed by the Master of the City. But when Madeline's little girl meets Jean-Claude's young daughter, things get... interesting.





	An Eventful Interview

**Author's Note:**

> NO I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO POMME DE SANG SO PLEASE STOP ASKING.

    Madeline sat waiting in one of the outer offices of the Circus of the Damned. She was surprised that the owner, a vampire, had been able to meet her so early in the afternoon. Obviously there was a reason he was Master of the City. Considering the pay that accompanied the day manager's position she was applying for, she'd have met him at 3am if that's what he wanted.  
  
    Jean-Claude came out of his office and the human woman rose as he approached, extending her hand. "Hi, I'm Madeline MacNamera, I'm here for the interview."  
  
    "Of course, Ms. MacNamera. Please call me Jean-Claude." His glance turned to the small human child clinging to her other hand.  
  
    She saw the look and smiled apologetically. "This is my daughter, Cameron. My babysitter canceled out on me. I hope that's not a problem."  
  
    "Not at all." The vampire smiled and knelt before the small blond-haired child. "Hello, Cameron. It is a pleasure to meet you." The child just stared back at him with big eyes.  
  
    Her mother nudged her. "Cameron, where are your manners? Say hello."  
  
    The child mumbled something shyly, and Jean-Claude flashed her mother a smile. "And how old are you, small one?" The little girl held up a hand with fingers outspread. "Five?" Jean-Claude asked, and she nodded. "I have a daughter your age. Her playroom is just down the hall. Would you like to go meet her?"  
  
    Still the wide-eyed gaze. Taking this as assent, Jean-Claude nodded and rose to his feet. "This way. I think she will be very pleased to meet you, it is rare that there are other children here for her to play with." He led them down the hall and opened a door into a room where a small, pale girl with long black braids played alone. The stamp of her paternity was obvious, especially when she turned her head and Madeline saw her deep blue eyes, identical to her father's. "Marvelle, come and meet our guests," Jean-Claude said in an affectionate tone.  
  
    The pale girl stood, smoothing down the skirts of her lacy dress. " _Oui_ , Papa." She walked over to them and gave Madeline a shy smile, then dropped into a childish curtsy. "How do you do? I'm Marvelle." She looked like a perfectly groomed, well-mannered little doll, and Madeline was abruptly and uncomfortably aware that Cameron's pink tee shirt and red jumper, though clean, were unmistakably play clothes.  
  
    Madeline knelt. "Hello Marvelle, how do you do? I'm Madeline, and this is my daughter Cameron. She's your age."  
  
    Marvelle turned her dark blue eyes on the other child. "Hello Cameron. How do you do?"  
  
    "Hi Marvelle," Cameron mumbled, and Madeline felt a bit of relief that Cameron's manners didn't suffer too much by comparison.  
  
    Jean-Claude smiled at the two children as they regarded each other curiously. "Marvelle, why don't you show Cameron your toys while her mother and I talk? Play nicely, now."  
  
    " _Oui_ , Papa," the little girl repeated, and Madeline wondered at the child's precocious formality.  
  
    Jean-Claude gave his daughter another moment's fond smile, then turned his attention back to Madeline, all business. "Now, Ms. MacNamera, shall we talk? The girls will be fine, we will be able to hear them from my office."  
  
    "Please call me Madeline, and yes."  
  
    He smiled and led the way back to the office. They sat on opposite sides of the desk and Jean-Claude picked up some papers from his desk. "Madeline, I have looked over your resumè. It is most impressive. However, there are some questions I need to ask you."  
  
    "Of course."  
  
    "Anyone who works this position will have to coordinate with me and my nighttime manager as well as our employees. Have you worked with vampires or lycanthropes before? Would you be comfortable doing so on a regular basis?"  
  
    She smiled. "Yes, the bar I managed last had several waiters who were vampires, and we got along fine. I have no problems with working with preternatural beings again."  
  
    His eyebrows lifted slightly and he nodded once. "I'm very pleased to hear that. Now, the nature of this particular business is such that..." He cut off, eyes widening, and in a blur of movement, ran for the door. Madeline, hard on his heels, heard the childish voices yelling as soon as she hit the hall.  
  
    "You!"  
  
    "No, you!"  
  
    She got to the playroom door just in time to see Jean-Claude extracting his daughter from a tangle of flying limbs and holding her up away from Cameron. Madeline dashed forward to prevent Cameron from lunging at the pale girl.  
  
    "What is the meaning of this behavior?" Jean-Claude snapped, and Madeline's head snapped up, but he was looking at his daughter. "I have taught you better manners than this! Now apologize!"  
  
    Marvelle scowled, the first sign of rebellion Madeline had seen from her. "I won't. She started it!"  
  
    "I did not! You did, you fibber!" Cameron yelped.  
  
    The black-haired girl struggled in her father's hands. "You did too. You stink like a garbage truck!"  
  
    "Well, you stink like dog poop!" Cameron stuck out her tongue at the other girl.  
  
    While Marvelle sputtered in childish outrage, Madeline looked up at Jean-Claude with a little dread, braced to defend her daughter. To her surprise, he was smiling. No, make that grinning. Suddenly the absurdity of the situation struck her, and she started laughing, which set off Jean-Claude, and soon both adults were in gales of laughter. The two children squirmed out of their parents' loosened grips and stared wide-eyed at them.  
  
    Cameron looked at Marvelle, hostility forgotten in their mutual bafflement. "Grown-ups are weird."  
  
    "Yeah!" Marvelle agreed with feeling, which only sent the adults into a fresh bout of hilarity.  
  
    Jean-Claude gathered himself, wiping away red-tinged tears of laughter, and Madeline's laughter calmed into a smile. "I know I didn't get the job," she commented, "but this was worth it anyway."  
  
    Jean-Claude gave her a look of amused surprise. "Of course you have the job, Madeline. And please, do not hesitate to bring Cameron here anytime you wish. The children are getting along so well" - with a look of wry amusement- "it would be a shame not to let them get to know each other better."  
  
    He reached over the children's heads and offered his hand. "Welcome to the Circus of the Damned. I think you'll do very well here."  
  
    She shook his hand and smiled at the two children, who had now wandered away to the toy box. "Thank you, Jean-Claude. I think we're going to get along fine."  
  
    The two small girls ignored them, already busy vying over a stuffed animal.  
  
  
The End

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted on the now-defunct Pomme de Sang website in 2007. I'm slowly uploading my works from that site here, but for now it's just posting the shorter stories and oneshots, and seeing if there's enough interest to start posting the (unbelievably long) main series.
> 
> Please don't be shy with comments! :D


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